One of the great treats of my life as a young boy was the
privilege of selecting a comic book when my parents made the weekly trip to the
Piggly Wiggly grocery store. As a child,
I was fascinated by the ‘Charles Atlas’ advertisements on the inside of back
page of my comic books. A ninety-seven
pound weakling and his girlfriend were at the beach, enjoying their day
together. A big bully interrupts them by
kicking sand on the couple. Since the
weakling is unable to defend himself, the bully takes away his girlfriend. The ninety-seven pound weakling enrolls in
the ‘Charles Atlas’ body building course.
Some time later, he returns to the beach where he challenges the bully
who is there spending the day with his old girlfriend. He reclaims his girlfriend because he is a new
man.
The Greek word for ‘new’ is kainos. Kainos means a new kind or quality of thing;
unique. Ephesians 2 describes the
Gentiles as a people who were hopeless, Godless, separated and alienated from
God. They were strangers to God. (They were ninety-seven pound weaklings
spiritually.) In addition to their
non-relationship with God, they were enemies of the Jewish people and lived in
hostility to them. Ephesians 2:14-22
describes how Jesus changes the Gentiles into spiritual body-builders. How does he do this? He makes both Jews and Gentiles into a new
(kainos) kind of person. Rather than
focusing on their Jewishness or their Gentileness, they are new. They are Christians. Jesus brings ‘peace’ to Jews and Gentiles in
their relationships to one another and in their relationships to God.
Responding to the gospel of Christ is like taking the
‘Charles Atlas’ body building course from a spiritual standpoint. From a ninety-pound spiritual weakling, we
are transformed into a new creation.
“Members of the household of God and citizens of the kingdom of God
Prayer: Father, thank
you for making newness of life possible through your Son Jesus. Help us to live daily with the awareness that
we have been made new.
Terry Brown
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